Daisy Baker’s won’t reopen for 40th anniversary year

TROY >> The management of Daisy Baker’s has announced that the popular downtown restaurant will not be reopening to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year.

As of Friday, the business has moved out of its 33 Second St. building.

“We regretfully announce that we will not be reopening,” said Jared Horton, managing partner of Daisy Baker’s, in a prepared statement released Monday “We have been unable to reach an agreement with the building’s new owner, Bonacio Construction.”

In the early morning hours of Dec. 19, 2013, Daisy Baker’s was forced to close after a broken pipe above the kitchen caused a devastating loss. Horton had hoped to reopen quickly, but the building was in foreclosure at the time, as its then-owner Sandy Horowitz was undergoing a prolonged bankruptcy. Credit union SEFCU then purchased the four-story brownstone at 33 Second St. at auction with intent to find a developer capable of preserve its historic value.

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In May, Sonny Bonacio was the winning bidder for the building.

Horton, who did not wish to be interviewed, added in a prepared statement, “My business partner and I have been unable to reach an agreement with the building’s new owner, Bonacio Construction. There were some restrictions in the proposed lease that we felt would not be sustainable for our business over the long term.

“While Bonacio proposed helping us with the kitchen repairs, the rent increase combined with restrictions to our hours of operation were too much to overcome,” he continued. “The Bonacio team tried their best to help us reopen, but we simply could not offer them the type of establishment that they are looking for.

“I know better than anyone what this business is capable of, and it would not be prudent of me to put this business, my partner, and our employees in a position where I had doubts of the long term success.

Horton went on to thank the establishment’s patrons for their continued support and his employees for “all of the hard work that they gave us over the years.”

“Ultimately, it was the lack of action by building ownership/management at the time of the Dec. 19, 2013, flood that put us in this position, not the current building ownership,” he added.

Efforts to reach a Bonacio Construction spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful Monday evening.

Horton’s business partner, Bruce Fleshman added, “It was an unfortunate set of circumstances that lead to Daisy’s closing. Business was good. It was the building’s legal woes that put us in this position. We had nobody to turn to when our flood occurred. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this for the past three years.”

Looking toward the future, Horton, in his statement, said that although he has no immediate plans, he would consider re-opening Daisy Baker’s elsewhere if a space suitable to the restaurant’s brand, style and needs became available. Horton owns the rights to the name “Daisy Baker’s,” the restaurant phone number and website.